In French, certain letters combine to create new sounds. Learning these combinations is key to reading French correctly!
1. Vowel Combinations
When vowels appear together, they often make a single sound:
| Combination | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ou | “oo” (like “food”) | vous (you), jour (day), toujours (always), beaucoup (a lot) |
| au / eau | “oh” | au (to the), beau (beautiful), eau (water), gâteau (cake) |
| ai / ei | “eh” (like “bed”) | fait (done), mai (May), neige (snow), beige |
| oi | “wa” | moi (me), toi (you), trois (three), voir (to see) |
| eu / œu | “uh” (rounded lips) | deux (two), bleu (blue), sœur (sister), cœur (heart) |
2. Nasal Vowels
When vowels are followed by n or m, they become nasal sounds (air goes through your nose):
| Combination | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| an / am / en / em | nasal “ahn” | France, dans (in), temps (time), comment (how) |
| in / im / ain / ein | nasal “an” (like “pan”) | vin (wine), pain (bread), demain (tomorrow), cinq (five) |
| on / om | nasal “on” | bon (good), non (no), nom (name), maison (house) |
| un / um | nasal “uhn” | un (one), lundi (Monday), parfum (perfume) |
Important: The nasal sound only happens when n/m is followed by a consonant or is at the end. If followed by a vowel, pronounce normally: bonne (bon-nuh), ami (a-mee).
3. Consonant Combinations
| Combination | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ch | “sh” (like “ship”) | chat (cat), cher (dear), chocolat, chose (thing) |
| ph | “f” | photo, téléphone, pharmacie |
| gn | “ny” (like “canyon”) | montagne (mountain), champagne, signe (sign) |
| qu | “k” | que (that), qui (who), quatre (four), question |
| th | “t” (not like English “th”) | thé (tea), théâtre, mathématiques |
4. The Letters G and C
These letters change sound depending on the vowel that follows:
G sounds:
| Rule | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| g + a, o, u | hard “g” (like “go”) | gare (station), gâteau, gorge, goût (taste) |
| g + e, i | soft “zh” (like “measure”) | gentil (nice), geste, girafe, âge |
| gu + e, i | hard “g” | guerre (war), guitare, guide |
C sounds:
| Rule | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| c + a, o, u | hard “k” | café, comment, cuisine (kitchen) |
| c + e, i | soft “s” | ce (this), ciel (sky), cinema, merci |
| ç | always “s” | ça (that), français, garçon (boy) |
5. The “ILL” and “IL” Combinations
| Combination | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ille | “ee-yuh” | fille (girl), famille, vanille, Marseille |
| -ail / -aille | “ah-yuh” | travail (work), détail,aille |
| -eil / -eille | “ay-yuh” | soleil (sun), vieille (old), oreille (ear) |
| -ouille | “oo-yuh” | grenouille (frog), bouillir (to boil) |
Exception: In some words, “ill” sounds like “eel”: ville (city), mille (thousand), tranquille (calm).
6. Common Sound Patterns Summary
| Sound You Want | Possible Spellings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| “oh” | o, au, eau | mot, au, beau |
| “oo” | ou | vous, jour |
| “wa” | oi | moi, trois |
| “eh” | ai, ei, è, ê | fait, neige, père, fête |
| “ay” | é, er, ez | café, parler, chez |
| “sh” | ch | chat, cher |
| “zh” | j, g (+ e/i) | je, gentil |
Practice Exercise
How would you pronounce these words?
- beau → “boh” (eau = oh)
- maison → “may-ZON” (ai = eh, on = nasal)
- chocolat → “sho-ko-LA” (ch = sh)
- français → “fran-SAY” (an = nasal, ai = eh)
- fille → “FEE-yuh” (ille = ee-yuh)
- montagne → “mon-TA-nyuh” (on = nasal, gn = ny)